The following student teams received the ISTF's second highest honor, "Honorable Mention Award" certificates from the Director of the ISTF program.

ISTF Project Number: 16-3225

In states with freezing temperatures, water from hydrogen powered cars comes out of the exhaust and freezes onto the road creating ice. From 2004-2015, the U.S Department of Transportation reported that 151,944 crashes and 559 fatalities were caused by icy roads.

ISTF Project Number: 16-3169

Energy is a concern for much of the world. As fossil fuels are the leading source of energy in the world, it's also being slowly depleting rate. We aspire to make our hydrogen fuel cell to be a commonly implemented source to combat the energy tyrant that is fossil fuels.

Student Project Team:

Alan C.

Project Team Teacher:

Rachel Bausman

School Name:

Blaine High School, Blaine, MN

ISTF Project Number: 16-3217

Over the past studies and observation, we have recognized that there were many chemical factors that if rise to high, would harm the aquatic life in a creek. Also, we felt that the the constant accumulation of waste that gathers as you continue down the river is counterproductive to the efforts the city has made to clean up the creek.

Student Project Team:

Kendyl N., Ariel M., Abby F., Taylor F.

Project Team Teacher:

Rebecca Bratcher

School Name:

L&N STEM Academy, Knoxville, TN

Technical Advisor:

Mr. Jay Davis, City of Knoxville Stormwater Engineering

ISTF Project Number: 16-3138

According to Unicef, two-thirds of Africaís land area is desert or dryland, and three-fourths of that land is deprived of minerals and nutrients due to droughts. A growing population and increasing amounts of unusable land cause food shortages in Africa.

Student Project Team:

Harry M., Ruiyang H., Nina N., Alex L., Nini N., Ryan C., Spencer F.

Project Team Teacher:

Heather Ferrara

School Name:

Winter Park High School, Winter Park, FL

ISTF Project Number: 16-3171

In the year of 1991 during the Gulf War, approximately 330 million gallons of oil spilled into the the sea; covering nearly 4,000 square kilometers with a 4-inch thick oil slick. Our project the Filter Ferry will make cleaning large oil spills easier and less hazardous for marine life. As our Filter Ferry drives through the water, it will take in polluted the water, filter it out and store the oil in holding tanks, and release the now clean ocean water.

There are an estimated ten million amputees in the world. In the United States, over 185,000 amputations are performed annually and approximately two million people need prosthetics. Individuals who lose access to their upper limbs have their lives substantially changed and need assistance to cope with their new lifestyle.

Phantom Limb Syndrome (PLS) is the perception of sensations, often including pain, in an arm or leg long after the limb has been amputated. This syndrome is relatively common in amputees, especially in the early months and years after limb loss. Mirror therapy, a present method of rehabilitation, is estimated to be only 60% effective in upper limb amputees while also requiring expensive equipment and monitoring by a caretaker or technician.

This project is aimed at designing an affordable, effective and accessible alternative solution to address the rehabilitation challenges associated with PLS. Using the power of Augmented Reality (AR) coupled with open source software, such as Unity3D and Vuforia, and commonly used devices like cellphones and computers, the prototype can read muscle activity and create an onscreen image of a virtual hand in place-of the individualís lost hand and can mimic basic hand movements through the use of an AR camera. Possible subconscious psychological benefits may include helping the brain reconnect with the nerves at the amputation site and alleviate unnecessary sensations.

Due to legal restrictions, the efficacy of this solution has not yet been tested on human subjects. This system is currently being forwarded to qualified individuals who have the necessary credentials to test the solution on patients.

Student Project Team:

Rayan K., Anne L., Afeef S.

Project Team Teacher:

Cynthia Burt

School Name:

Nikola Tesla STEM High school, Redmond, WA

Technical Advisor:

Mrs. Ayesha Sheikh, Home

ISTF Project Number: 16-3136

People are becoming too dehydrated. According todoctors, 75% of Americans may be suffering from chronic dehydration. People should be drinking 10 cups a day. Water is necessary for the body to digest and absorb nutrients. The human body is made up of 70% water, and people usually lose about 10 cups of that water each day. Fatigue, constipation, and digestive disorders all resultfrom chronic dehydration.

ISTF Project Number: 16-3166

Most meats have bacteria and viruses in them, and even after you cook them, there could still be bacteria in said meat. UV lights can destroy bacteria and viruses in the meat that were not eliminated when the meat was cooked. So we made a UV meat scanner that scans and eliminates the bacteria and viruses that could be in the meat at the slaughterhouse.

Student Project Team:

Kaitlin N.

Project Team Teacher:

Rachel Bausman

School Name:

Blaine High School, Blaine, MN

ISTF Project Number: 16-3152

In many developing countries, there are many site infections due to the poor sterilization of surgical tools and needles. Our goal as a group is to develop surgical tools and needles that indicate if the tool has been used and needs to be sterilized.